Draft-rigging.



W. KELSO,v

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED .IULY I7. |917.

Patented spf. 24, 1918.

UNrTED STATES PATENT. oEEIcE.

WILLIAM KELso. or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoE To THE MecoNWAY &

TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION F `:PENN- SYLVANIA.

:DEAFT-RIGGING..

mismos.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 24', 1918.

Application filed July 17, 1917. Serial No.181,035.

To u?! /lmm it may concern:

Be it known that I. \VILLIAM IxELso, a

citizen 'of the United States, residing at' Pittsburgh, in the'county of Allegheny and State 0f Pennsylvania, .have invented cer` t tain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Rigging; and I-do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will venable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My. invention relates to the construction of draft yrigging for railway cars and particularly to draft rigging of a character that is well adapted for application to passenger cars. rJhe principal object of the invention is'to afford simple and efficient means for pivotally connecting the coupler and draft yoke without employing the usual tail pin or pivot pin, andin a'manner minimizing liability of spreading or separation of the front ends ofthe yoke arms and the distortion or destruction'of the yoke.

Generally stated, the primary ob]ect of the invention is accomplished by employing a coupler with a shouldered butt adapted to be inserted between thev arms of the draft yoke and to engage correspondingly curved shoulders at the forwardv ends of rearwardly `Vopen Sockets formed on the adjacent faces of the free ends of the arms of such yoke, means vbeing provided for preventing rearward travelI of the coupler independently of said yoke and for preventing spreading of the Vfree ends of the yoke, said means engaging the coupler in advance of the said shoulders andinvolving a plurality of members one of which extends through the coupler and hori- 'zontally overlaps the free ends ofthe yoke arms. Other features of the invention, in'

'volving minor combinations andspecial constructions of elemental parts, will be hereinafter fully described. `and particularly claimed.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustratingy the invention, the scopel whereof is pointed out in the claims,

Figure. 1 is a plan view of a-draft riggingembodying my invention, the cushioning mechanism, which usually' consists vof springs and followers arran ed in a wellknown way within the yoke, eing omitted.

Fig.'2 is a side elevation ofthe construction illustrated in Fig. 1, the head of the coupler bengomitted.v Y

Fig. 3 is a' vertical central section of the l devices shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a portion of the draft yoke and the means for maintaining the. coupler and yoke in assembled relat1on being in elevation.

Figs. 4 and 5 are transversel sectional but illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 9 isa plan view of a draft 'rigging illustrating, another form of the invention, the coupler head and the cushioning devices that are mounted within the yoke being omitted. 4

Fig. 10 is a side elevation-of the construction shown in Fig. 9.

In the form of draft rigging which is illustrated in the principal figures ofthe drawings, 1 indicates the coupler and 2 is the draft yoke. These parts are'preferably pivotallyv connected in such manner that the coupler is capable of swinging horizontally and also of angling vertically with respect to the draft yoke. At its rear end'the coupler is provided with pivotalfshoulders 3 which, as shown in'Fig. 3, are preferably undercut. These .pivotal shoulders are adapted to engage correspondingly curved.

Aand undercut shoulders 4 that are formed on views respectively taken on the lines 4:-4

coupler engaging end the yoke 2 is providedV A with. inwardlydirected lug. portions `6 whose rear faces` form the undercut shoulders 4 'which coperatewith ,the pivotal lugs or shoulders on the butt ofthe coupler. The

forward or free ends of the arms of thedraft yoke .are stepped or shouldered,- their vertically extending faces -7, 7 ,and 8, 8, respectively, being `c 'urved concentrically vwith the www inner pivotal bearings 4. rIo permit of lateral swinging or angling of the coupler 1 with respect to the yoke 2, the yinner surfaces of the lug portions 6 of th'e yoke are formed as outwardly and laterally flaring curved faces 9 which also diverge outwardly in a vertical direction to provide for vert-ical angling of the parts. For a short distance in advance of its butt the stem of the coupler 1 is curved or rounded upon its upper and lower faces, as indicated at 10. This permits the coupler to be assembled with and disassembled from the yoke 2 by rotating the coupler a quarter turn on its axis and then moving it longitudinally either rearwardly or forwardly, depending upon whether the parts are being assembled or disassembled.

At a point in advance of the forward ends of the arms of the draft yoke 2 the stem of the coupler 1 is formed with a vertically eX- tending slot whose forward wall 11 is preferably inclined. This slot is adapted to receive means for preventing the forward ends of the yoke arms from spreading and thus 'becoming disengaged from the coupler 1.

The device which it is preferred to employ for maintaining the assembled relation of the yoke and coupler preferably comprises a key 12 which is provided at its ends with shoulders 13 that respectively overlap the horizontal portions of the yokebetweenthe curved faces 8 and 9 thereof. When theupper and lower faces of the coupler butt are inclined, as at 5, to permit vertical angling of the coupler, a slight clearance is left between the draft/.yoke 2 and the shoulders 13 of the key 12 in order to allow for such vertical movement of the coupler. The key 12 mayV be conveniently maintained in assembled relation by means of a wedge shaped vkey 14 that is inserted in the vertical slot of the coupler stem in advance of the key oi. clamp 12. The wedging member 14 is preferably providedat one end with a head or shoulder 15 having' overlapping engagement withthe stem of the coupler 1. It may be conveniently retained. in assembled position byme'ans of a Cotter 16.

The modification of the invention illustrated in Fig. 8 is substantially the same as the construction heretofore described, except that no provision is made for permitting ver` tical angling of the coupler with respect t0 the yoke. To this end the upper and lower surfaces 5a on the .butt of the coupler 1a are not beveled or tapered but are parallel, while the curved inner surfaces 9L of the free ends of the yoke 2a are not flared outwardly in a vertical direction. The coupler 1a and draft yoke 2a are preferably retained in assembled -position by a key 12 and wedging member 14 which are related to the coupler and the draft yoke in precisely the same way as in the form of construction already described. Accordingly, the key and Wedging member and the parts of the coupler and yoke with which they cooperate have been indicated by reference numerals corresponding to those employed in the construction heretofore desembled with the yoke 2b by inserting the butt of the coupler laterally between the arms of the yoke and then moving it forward until the curved bearings of both members are in contact. In this construction lthere is no necessity for rounding the shank of the coupler in advance of its butt. The free ends of the arms of the draft yoke 2b are formed with inwardly projecting lugs 6b whose adjacent inner faces 9b are parallel fiat surfaces. The rear faces of these lugs form curved and preferably undercut bearing faces or sockets 4b that are adapted to 'engage and coperate with the correspondingly curved and undercut pivot lugs or shoulders 3b on the butt of the coupler 1b. The forward ends of the arms of the yoke are stepped, the curved vertical faces 7,7, and S, 8, respectively, having the same axis as that of the coperating pivotal faces 3b and 4". Forretaining the couple-r 1b and yoke 2b in assembled relation and to prevent spreading or `separation of the free ends of thev arms of the yoke, it is preferred to employ a key 12 and wedging member 14, whose relations to each other and to the coupler and draft yoke have been already described.

I claim: y 1 1.y In a draft rigging, thejcombination with a coupler, of a Vdraft yoke connected thereto, said yoke being provided at the coupler engaging end thereof with inwardly directed luc' portions, the' coupler having shoulders adapted toengage'the rear faces of the lug portion on the said yoke, andmeans for maintaining .said yoke and couf pler in assembled relation, said means in` cluding a member extending through the coupler 1n front of said yoke and adapted t0 enlgage the upper and lower faces of the said yo re.

with a coupler, of a draft yoke pivotally ,con-

2. In .a draft rigging, the combination nected thereto, said yoke being provided adjacent the coupler engaging end thereof with curved undercut pivot shoulders, the coupler I. having shoulders thereon coperating with the said shoulders of theyoke, and means for maintaining said. coperating shoulders in assembled relationsaid means including Ta' key adapted to engage the end faces of the yoke at the coupler engaging end thereof.

3. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke, of a coupler pivotally con nected thereto, the free ends of the arms of said yoke being curved and said yoke and,

coupler having coperating shoulders curved concentric with the said curved ends of the yoke, and means for maintaining the engage ment of said yoke and coupler, said means including a member extending through the coupler and engaging the' end faces of said yoke at the coupler engaging end thereof.

4. In' a dra-ft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke, of a coupler having shouldered engagement therewith', and'meansextending through said coupler in advance of said yoke and horizontally overlapping the free ends of the yoke for maintaining said coupler and yoke in operative engagement.

5. In' a draft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke, of a coupler pivotally connected thereto, cooperating pivotal means on said yoke and coupler adapted to revent the longitudinal separation thereo in fone direction, and means movable laterally with the coupler and adjustable longitudinally thereof for engagin the said yoke to prevent the longitudina? separation of .said yoke and coupler in the opposite direction.

6. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke provided with rearwardly open sockets on the adjacent faces of the free ends of its arms, a coupler provided with a shouldered butt, the said butt bein'g adapted to be inserted between the arms of said yoke and to engage shoulders on the yoke within the said sockets, and means for preventing lrea-rward movement ofthe coupler independently of the yoke, said means engaging said vcoupler in advance of said shoulders and comprising a member extending through the coupler and hrizontally overlapping the free ends ofthe yoke, and means for securing said overlapping member -in position.

l 7. In a draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke connected thereto, and means for preventing dissociation of the arms of said yoke from said coupler, said means serving to prevent the coupler rearwardly independently o'f from movin the yoke anc comprising a shouldered member extending through the coupler and a wedging member adapted to maintain said shouldered member in assembled position.

8. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke, of a coupler connected thereto So as to have both lateral and vertical swinging movements with respect to said yoke,l said coupleraiid yokehaving cooperating pivot forming shoulders, and.

means for kpreventing the disengagement of the forward ends of the arms of said yoke fromv said 'cou ler, said means including a wedging mem er and a keyv .extending thiliough lthesa'id coupler in advance of the yo e. -1

9. In ajdraft rigging, the combination with. a draft yoke, 'of la coupler pivotally connected thereto, said yoke having at the free ends of its arms inwardly extending lug portions 'having curvedvoutwardly iaring faces, thesaid coupler having curved faces adjacent its butt and between the adjacent'faces of the lug portions of the yoke,

the upperY and lower curved faces of the said coupler being substantially parallel, whereby the coupler may angle vertically with respect to the said yoke.

l0. In a vdraft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke, of a coupler pivotally connected thereto, said yokebeing provided at its forward end with inwardly extending lug portions the inner and outer vertical ders of which are adapted to engage the inner shoulders of the yoke lugs, the adjacent faces of the yoke lugs and the upper and lower faces ofthe coupler butt being vrearwardly tapered, to thereby ermit vertical angllng of the coupler an yoke, and

faces of which are concentrically curved, va coupler having a shouldered butt the shoul- `shouldered means movable by the coupler with respect to the said yoke for maintaining said yoke and coupler in engagement.

11. Inl a draft rigging, the combination with a draft yoke having spaced arms the forward ends of which are provided with inwardly extending lugs, said lugs having 

